Swimming Lessons
by Flynne
Summary: 2k3 'verse, set several years after "Turtles Forever". The Jones-O'Neil-Hamato family goes on a rafting trip. Pure unadulterated fluff and happy turtles.
_Set in the 2k3 happyverse: several years after "Turtles Forever", with the brothers in their mid-twenties and Shadow as the biological daughter of Casey and April. Complete and utterly shameless fluff, BECAUSE I CAN, and because Uncle!Turts are one of my favorite things ever._ :D

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Swimming Lessons

"Mom, come on!" Shadow called, bouncing on her toes at April's side outside the van. "Daddy's already at the pier."

Raph chuckled. "Take it easy, short stuff." He wrapped his arm around the four-year-old's waist and scooped her up, tucking her under his arm like a football.

Shadow squeaked and giggled, squirming in her uncle's grip. "Uncle Raphie, put me down!"

"You sure? You ain't heavy; I can carry you for quite a while." He bounced her up and down a few times, causing her to squeal as she dangled in midair.

"Not upside-down!" She laughed again, then reached out and grabbed hold of his belt to keep herself from swinging back and forth. Raph shifted his hold on her as she pulled herself up to sit in the crook of his elbow. Flyaway strands of black hair escaped her ponytail, and she shook the tickling hairs out of her face as she looped her arm around his neck.

The early morning sun beamed down from a cloudless sky. A wide wooden raft bobbed gently on the river where it was tethered at the end of a weathered-looking pier. Splinter, Leo, and Don were already on the raft, arranging supplies as Casey and Mikey handed them over.

April shouldered her bag. "Okay, that's everything." She grinned as she reached out to smooth away a white smudge of sunblock on Shadow's nose. "You all set, Casey?"

"Ready when you are, babe!" Casey lifted a large cooler from the edge of the pier and passed it off to Don.

Shadow wiggled free from Raph's arms and hopped to the ground, running ahead to join the rest of the family on the pier.

Raph untied his belt and tossed it in the van before shutting the door and locking the vehicle. "You think you got enough stuff there?" he asked, smirking at her duffel.

"Hey, now." April elbowed him teasingly in the side. "Why do you think we had to _bring_ all this stuff in the first place? You'd be surprised at how much four turtles can eat."

Raph just laughed. Despite his muscular bulk, he appeared lighter than usual without his gear and weapons. All four brothers had kept their masks, but they'd left the rest of their gear in the van.

Up ahead, now that everything had been loaded onto the raft, Mikey was done waiting. He sprinted to the end of the pier and cannonballed off the end, hollering, "Bombs awaaaaay!" He landed in the river with a thunderous splash. The raft rocked as Mikey's wave hit it, and a spray of water sprinkled the pier. Casey yelped and Splinter shook his ears, glaring at his son with good-natured annoyance, but Shadow laughed.

"Hurry up, Daddy!" She stood in front of Casey, holding her arms out to the sides while he buckled her into her life vest. She'd resisted the idea of wearing it when April and Casey had first got her one, but then Casey had had the idea of looking for a green vest. Having a "shell" like her uncles had satisfied her, and she'd willingly worn the life vest ever since.

April hopped down on to the raft and spread a blanket out on the wooden boards. It was the same raft that Casey had built years ago, the summer after the Shredder had been finally brought to justice by the utroms, but it was bigger. He and Donatello had made it wider and more sturdy, and had added a motor to use if needed.

Treading water at the end of the pier, Mikey held out his arms. "Shadow, come on!"

Shadow looked eagerly at April. As soon as April nodded permission, she ran and jumped fearlessly off the pier, bobbing like a cork as she swam out to Mikey. Casey and Raph untied the raft and pushed off from the landing. April sat in the middle of the blanket next to Splinter, watching with a grin as Shadow and Mikey paddled alongside.

Casey used a long pole to steer the raft to the center of the river until the gentle current caught it. Once it was moving on its own, he rested the pole in the suspension hooks along one side of the raft, then settled on the blanket next to April.

Donatello slipped off the side of the raft without disturbing its course, ducking underwater for a few yards before surfacing near Mikey and Shadow. Raph, on the other hand, got to his feet and hollered, "Look out below!" The raft dipped heavily as he launched himself into the air, jostling April against Casey's shoulder. The resulting splash shot a plume of water into the air, soaking Leo and eliciting a theatrical scream from Mikey and a peal of delighted laughter from Shadow.

Leo sputtered, palming water away from his face. "Thanks, Raph," he said dryly, although April could see him struggling to keep back a smile.

Raph, floating on his back, just grinned mischievously up at him. He kicked away from the raft, sending another spray of water at Leo's face. Leo's mouth slanted in a vindictive smirk. He jumped off the raft and swam after his brother. Raph ducked beneath the surface with startling abruptness. Leo dove after him, leaving hardly a ripple in his wake as he joined the underwater chase.

Mikey grinned at Don. "What do you wanna bet Leo catches him?"

Don smirked. "I'm not taking that bet. Raph has a head start, but Leo's faster." He turned his attention to Shadow. "What do you think? You ready to give it a try?" Shadow nodded eagerly, the motion causing her to bob in the water where she floated next to Mikey.

"Okay, hang on to me, then," Mikey said. He waited for Shadow to wrap her arms around his neck, then unbuckled her life vest and helped her wiggle out of it. "Let us know when you're ready, then you can swim to Uncle Donny."

"I'm ready!" Shadow said immediately. She let go of Mikey's neck and planted her little bare feet against his plastron, pushing off to give herself momentum as she dog-paddled across the narrow gap of open water between Mikey and Don.

"Great job!" Don said, catching her as she got close.

Shadow beamed, hanging on to his shoulders. "I wanna swim back!"

Mikey stuck his hand through the armhole of Shadow's life vest, sliding it up his arm to keep his hands free. "Come and get me!" Casey and April had enrolled their daughter in swimming lessons at the local Y, but Shadow much preferred practicing with her uncles, and her parents trusted the turtles to keep an eye on her.

The surface of the river churned and exploded outward as Raph and Leo surfaced. "What're you doin', splashing me?" Raph sputtered, sending a wave of water at Leo with a sweep of his arm. "I'm already wet!"

"Ensuring my victory!" Leo said. He swung his arm in an attempt to swamp Raph again, but Raph dodged, caught hold of his wrist, and gave a yank to duck Leo underwater. Leo came up spitting river water, but laughing.

April looped her arm though Casey's and leaned her head against his shoulder, grinning as she watched the four brothers float along in a rough square as Shadow paddled back and forth between them. "It never gets old," she said in a low voice.

Casey tilted his head to look down at her. "What doesn't?"

"Seeing how happy they are out here."

"I agree," Splinter said. His dark eyes were warm as he watched his sons swim in the river. Shadow was buckled into her life vest again, and the swimming lesson turned into a game of shark-and-minnows.

"Who's the shark?" Don asked.

"Me and Uncle Leo!" Shadow said. She swam over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, floating piggy-back over his carapace.

"So I guess that makes Shadow the remora, huh?" Don said with a grin. Mikey and Raph laughed, but Leo kicked forward without warning, causing Shadow to shriek in delight at the sudden burst of speed. "Hey, wait, you didn't tell us you were starting!" Don yelped, frantically backstroking to dodge as Shadow made a grab for him.

"A ninja is always ready," Mikey intoned, doing his best Splinter impression. "Readiness is the key to - yeep!" His words ended in a squawk as Leo abruptly altered direction and surged toward him. He sucked in a breath and plunged beneath the surface to escape.

Leo kept chasing his brothers with Shadow on his back - despite the extra drag, he managed to catch Raph and Don a handful of times, and Mikey twice. Shadow let out an indignant "Hey!" as Mikey once again slipped past them to where Raph was "in jail" hanging on to the edge of the raft, tagging his brother to free him. She leaned forward to whisper, "Uncle Leo, go chase him! I'll catch him."

Leo chuckled - a little breathlessly - and changed course, stirring up a white wake behind him. When he got close to Mikey, Shadow let go, kicking off his shell underwater to propel herself at her uncle. Mikey saw her coming and slowed his escape just enough to let her grab his shell.

"Aaaaah! Help me, the vicious shark caught me!" Mikey shrieked, splashing dramatically as Shadow latched onto him, growling ferociously. "Oh no! I am slain!" He let out a theatrical gurgle and floated on his back. Shadow climbed up to sit his plastron, grinning down at him in triumph.

"I didn't know sharks could growl," Don said, letting the current bring him closer.

"They _sometimes_ growl," Shadow said. "You just can't _hear_ them because they're underwater."

Up on the raft, April cupped her hands around her mouth and called, "Hey, you sharks hungry?"

Mikey revived instantly, lifting his head without dislodging his tiny passenger. "Starving!" he called back. "My stomach's about to wrap around my spine!"

"Uncle Mikey, it can't do that!" Shadow giggled.

"Well, we don't want to risk finding out do we?" He rolled to his stomach, tipping Shadow back into the river with a _bloosh_. She let out a surprised squeak, but recovered quickly and grabbed onto his shell so he could tow her back to the raft. He boosted her up, then gave a kick that propelled him out of the water far enough for him to get purchase on the raft and haul himself the rest of the way out of the water. His brothers followed behind him, bringing small waves of water with them to lap across the wooden boards.

Splinter shifted out of the way, attempting to avoid the damp, but Mikey grinned impishly and crossed over to him, plopping down to sit beside him and wrapping a dripping arm around his father in an enthusiastic hug. "Hi, Sensei! How's it goin'?"

"Hm. Fine," Splinter said dryly, wrinkling his nose as water seeped through his robe. He made a subtle jab with the hand closest to Michelangelo, causing his son to recoil with a startled yelp.

April also let out a yelp as Shadow climbed into her lap, river water soaking through her shorts and t-shirt to wet the bathing suit she wore beneath. "Yikes! You're soaking wet!" She hugged her close regardless, reaching into the cooler for a sandwich. "It's probably a good time for a break anyway," she said. "We should put more sunblock on you."

"Mooooom I don't need it!" Shadow drawled around a mouthful of peanut butter and jelly.

"Oh yes you do. Otherwise you'll be red like a lobster and not green like a turtle." April poked Shadow's life vest, causing her daughter to laugh. In the end, Shadow agreed to let April put sunblock on her as long as _she_ got to put it on Mikey.

Raph let out an amused huff as Shadow outlined a triangle of sunscreen on Mikey's snout. "That's the wrong kind of sunscreen, and you've got the wrong kind of nose for that sort of thing."

"My nose is not _wrong_ for anything," Mikey objected. "My nose is perfect."

"Sure it is," Raph scoffed.

"Your jealousy is _so_ transparent."

Raph snorted. "Is it, now?"

"It is! Come on, Raphie, you know you want in on this." Mikey reached for the tube of sunscreen and squirted some into his hand.

Raph crossed his arms. "I'll pass, thanks."

"No, here, it'll be great." Mikey extended his hand - Raph leaned back - and then Mikey planted his hand against Raph's face and pushed him back into the river.

Raph's startled exclamation was swallowed up by the water, and he surfaced splashing and sputtering. " _Mikey!"_

Mikey's mischievous laughter ended in a squawk as Raph gave a powerful kick to lift himself out of the water, throw his arms around his brother, and drag him over the side. Casey burst out laughing and jumped to his feet. April hardly had time to gasp in surprise before he grabbed her around the waist, hollered " _Goongalaaaa!"_ and flung them both into the river.

"Nice day for a swim, huh, babe?" Casey asked with a grin, raising his voice a bit to be heard over Shadow's laughter.

April glared at him while she treaded water, struggling to keep her face stern and not let her answering grin break through. She peeled off her sodden t-shirt and winged it at his face. It landed with a _squelch_ but Casey just laughed. April smiled wryly at him. "You're lucky you're cute." She tugged off her shorts and collected her t-shirt, handing them both up to Shadow for her to lay flat to dry.

"Okay, it's time to get back in now!" Shadow declared when she'd finished her task. She headed over to Don, taking him by the hand and giving him a tug to urge him to his feet.

"You got this, Sensei?" Don asked, gesturing at the raft's steering pole.

Splinter nodded with a smile. "Go ahead."

"You _sure_ you don't want to go for a swim?" Mikey asked from where he was treading water next to the raft.

"I do not," came the stern reply. Mikey just snickered.

April and Casey joined Shadow and the four brothers in another round of swimming practice, then another game of shark and minnows where Shadow clung to Mikey while he chased the others around. By the time Mikey's stamina finally gave out - in a dramatic gurgle that ended with him floating facedown in the water with Shadow on his back - it was time to turn the raft around and head upstream.

Mikey flipped onto his back, dumping Shadow into the water again. "I don't know about the rest of you guys, but I'm gonna work on my tan," he said, swimming back toward the raft.

"What tan?" Raph asked with a snort.

"Fine. My _green_ , then," Mikey said with exaggerated dignity. He kicked himself up out of the water and sprawled out on the sun-warmed boards with a happy sigh.

"Guess that's my cue to get out, too," Casey said.

Shadow paused halfway to Raphael, looking over her shoulder at her dad. "Aw, already?"

"Someone's gotta steer the raft," he replied. "And it should be me." He winked at April. "Your ma thinks it makes me look cool."

April snorted, sweeping her arm across the surface of the water to splash Casey as he hauled himself back onto the raft.

Casey started up the motor and sat beside it, keeping one hand loosely draped across the rudder. Even though the motor was powerful enough to easily move the large raft upstream, the only sound it made was a low, gentle thrum - the result of several hours' worth of tweaking by April and Don.

Seeing that Shadow had made it over to Raph and was a safe distance away from the motor's underwater blades, April began swimming freestyle alongside the raft. Her awareness narrowed as she focused only on the water and the effort of swimming against the current, letting herself lose track of time. When she finally ended her workout, feeling the satisfying burn of exertion in her muscles, all the brothers but Raph were sunning themselves on the raft. Raph was propelling himself along on his back a short distance away. Shadow lay back on his plastron with her head tucked beneath his chin, blinking sleepily, and looking so much like an otter cub with its mother that April couldn't hold back a grin.

She stroked over to swim beside them, giving her daughter's nose a playful tweak. "Decided to hitch a ride, huh?" Shadow giggled, and Raph smiled as he said, "She knows how to travel in style."

April laughed. "That she does." She returned to the raft and accepted Casey's hand as he reached down to help her up. Her t-shirt and shorts were nearly dry, and by the time the water had evaporated from her swimsuit, her clothing was ready to put on. She put on her sun-warmed shorts and t-shirt and unfurled her own towel beside Leo's. He was stretched on his plastron with his eyes closed, and he didn't even twitch as she sat down next to him.

"Uncle Raphie, I'm ready to get out now," Shadow said at last. Raph drifted close to the raft, "oofing" a little under his breath as Shadow sat up and knelt on his chest, raising her arms so Mikey could lift her up. Raph followed, wringing the water out of his mask before draping it loosely around his neck. He walked softly around Leonardo, careful not to drip water on him, and positioned himself on the other side of the rudder beside Casey, sitting in companionable silence.

Mikey's mask hung around his neck as well. He sat cross-legged between Don and Splinter with Shadow in his lap, bundled in her orange beach towel. April couldn't hear Splinter's voice clearly over the soft sound of the water, but the gentle lilting tone of the old rat's voice told her that Splinter had probably begun to tell Shadow a story. Shadow's eyelids were looking heavy as she nestled against her uncle, and one hand played absently with the dangling tail of his mask.

Leo's voice at her elbow broke the silence. "It's a nice day," he said drowsily.

April glanced over at him. "I thought you were asleep."

"Ninja," he mumbled. "'M'always alert." His eyes were still closed, but there was a faint quirk to his mouth that told April he was teasing her.

"Sure you are, tough guy." April reached over and began lightly scratching her nails in little circles across his carapace. Leo hummed happily at the soothing vibrations through his shell and shifted a little closer. April smiled fondly down at him, sighing contentedly as they traveled back upstream towards home.


End file.
